Frequencies? Bands? How do I find the right channel for my goggles? Here’s some info to help you out.
If you’re fairly new to the world of FPV (First Person View) flying, frequency band charts can be very confusing. This is an article to simplify everything. Today, we’ll be focusing on the popular FPV frequency of 5.8GHZ. For information on other frequencies, check out this Flite Test article.
Bands
Each band has a unique set of frequencies. These are the lettered categories that different manufacturers use. Team Black Sheep gear might use Band A whilst Fatshark gear might use Band F. Within each of these bands, there are usually 8 separate channels.
| Band | Frequency Ch1 | Frequency Ch2 | Frequency Ch3 | Frequency Ch4 | Frequency Ch5 | Frequency Ch6 | Frequency Ch7 | Frequency Ch8 |
| A | 5865 | 5845 | 5825 | 5805 | 5785 | 5765 | 5745 | 4725 |
| B | 5733 | 5752 | 5771 | 5790 | 5809 | 5828 | 5847 | 5866 |
| C | 5705 | 5685 | 5665 | 5645 | 5885 | 5905 | 5925 | 5945 |
| F | 5740 | 5760 | 5780 | 5800 | 5820 | 5840 | 5860 | 5880 |
You can select the frequency band that you’d like to use on your video transmitter by clicking a button or flipping a dip switch. This is usually marked 'FR'.
Next you can select the channel within the band, again by pressing a button or flipping a dip switch on the transmitter. This is usually marked 'CH'.
The numbers on this transmitter correspond to those on the FPV frequency band table. For example, the display shows ‘4’ and ‘1’ which refers to the frequency band ‘4’ (also known as ‘F’), channel ‘1'.
Selecting a channel on your receiver/goggles
When you get a pair of video goggles, they should come supplied with a list of frequencies that the receiver can connect to. Often you can also find this information online along with which specific band the goggles use.
Occasionally, the manual that comes with your receiver/goggles might not explicitly reference which band it works with. Instead, it might come with a list of channel frequencies like this:
CH1: 5740 MHz CH2: 5760 MHz CH3: 5780 MHz CH4: 5800 MHz CH5: 5820 MHz CH6: 5840 MHz CH7: 5860 MHz
That’s quite alright though. All you’d have to do in this instance is see which numbers marry up with the numbers on the band chart: ‘CH1: 5740’ can be found in band F, so you’ll know to select that band and channel on your transmitter. Simple.
So there you have it, that's how you connect your FPV transmitter with your FPV receiver/goggles. Now get out there and fly something!
For more information about FPV basics, check out this FT content:
FPV Frequencies Article (Covering more than just 5.8GHZ)
Article by James Whomsley
Editor of FliteTest.com
Contact: james@flitetest.com
YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/projectairaviation
If you ever fly anywhere near other FPV flyers, then you must ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS turn on your goggles first and check to make sure your intended channel is available BEFORE you turn on your VTX. Even if your flying site has some sort of convention for these things, you should always do this. It's not a perfect solution, and it doesn't protect you, but it might prevent you from crashing someone else, and depending on how angry they are, it might protect you as well.
So what do you do if you turn on your goggles and your favorite channel is occupied? The simplest answer is DO NOT turn on your VTX and do not attempt to fly. You might try to find the other person and work out a deal. Unfortunately many simple VTXs have no way to change the channel without turning them on and that is not an option. You might read the manual on your VTX and see if it has a way to do it. You might remove the antenna from your VTX and replace it with a 50 ohm load, however, even a 50 ohm terminator will transmit some power so it's not a great plan. Also never run your VTX without an antenna or terminator or it could quickly be damaged.
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